Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 114, January 2019 | Page 7

LETTERS
so I can only
imagine the
disappointment
for a lot of my
fellow runners.
– Benjamin
O’Neil,
Gauteng
I know that
many races are struggling to find sponsors in the present economic
climate, and the Pick n Pay race that you cite as an example has
actually lost its sponsorship for 2019. Meanwhile, the costs of traffic
services, venues, consumables, etc. Just keep going up, forcing event
organisers to push up their entry fees to try keep up. And yet races in
SA are still way cheaper than many other countries, so we should be
thankful for that.
ROADSIDE SUPPORT
Watched the sunrise on my run this morning. I could tell it was early, not by
the light or the lack of traffic, but by the supportive cheer I received from a
tired-looking lady-of-the-night on the main road. Thank you, ma’am, your
encouragement made for a memorable last morning run of 2018. – Luke
Bresler, Cape Town
And here I thought I had seen it all when I and other runners in the Cape
Town Marathon of many moons ago were cheered on by decidedly
‘happy’ people just coming out of night clubs and bars as the sun came
up. Hey, every bit of support counts! – Ed.
While I agree that the sport should not be priced out of reach of many
of our athletes of lesser means, I am not convinced that a set pricing
structure with a fee cap is the answer, because different events have
different cost parameters, or offer more or less incentives. I very much
believe that runners will speak with their wallets and stay away from
events that are over-priced, and those who do not want to pay entry
fees are still catered for with club runs and parkruns. Thus I think things
will naturally balance out over time. – Ed.
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